Todd Cantwell insists there is so much more to come from him after his first start at Ewood Park for Blackburn Rovers.
Cantwell has shown his quality in flashes so far with Rovers managing his minutes carefully after he missed pre-season. But on Saturday, he was thrown in for his full home debut and completed the 90 minutes.
That felt a major step forward for the talented playmaker, who impressed with his performance on and off the ball. Whether playing as a 10 or inside off the left, he brings quality and creativity on the ball for Rovers.
Cantwell believe he is finding his match fitness but believes he has many more gears to go up as he finds his full rhythm.
READ MORE: ROVERS INJURY LATEST AFTER TWO PLAYERS MISS SWANSEA
"It's been a long time since I've played 90 minutes. I felt that towards the end," he said.
"I laughed at the gaffer and said I felt worse in the first half! Listen, I needed that to get going. I don't think I'm anywhere near 100 per cent at the moment, not in my sharpness, not in my play with the ball or even off it.
"I definitely think there's definitely a lot more to come from me. As a kid, you don't think it's relevant but then there's a sharpness that comes with it. You can't describe it in any way other than feeling connected properly.
"At times today, I felt that and sometimes I didn't. That was my first start at home and my second with the club. Now I need to stay stuck together, stay fit and you'll see the best of me after that.
"The way he wants his left-winger is the same to what Daniel (Farke) wanted which is a false left-winger really, a license to come inside and become a difficult player to pick up."
Rovers' 1-0 win over Swansea continued their 100 per cent start to the season. They have now won five out of five at home to start the campaign for the first time since 1994/95.
They had to show different sides to their game at the weekend. Swansea dominated the ball but didn't overly test Aynsley Pears, with Rovers recording a third successive clean sheet at Ewood.
"I think the boys have done a lot of hard work before I arrived to achieve that, it's some going," Cantwell reflected.
"The manager and everyone wants to be a tough team to play at home. I think, at times, we were a little bit sloppy in our transitions but Swansea are a good team and you have to respect the teams you're playing in the Championship.
"They tired us out with the way they played but we were solid. We didn't have loads of really dangerous moments to defend. They dominate the ball, that's their style.
"That's good for them but we were quite comfortable with them having the ball as well. Every team will offer a different challenge.
"It was a disappointing week and we were nowhere near where we'd set our standards to be. I think for us, the manager, that was very frustrating as we didn't have a game to react.
"We've worked hard, he's prepped us very well for this sort of game, we knew what to expect. We dealt with what they had to throw at us.
"I think all in all, it's a good three points and a clean sheet. These fans want to see someone who works hard for the team, they pay good money to watch. I think when we win at home, it makes it a nice play to be."
It's a busy period approaching with five games within the next three weeks for Rovers. It will test the squad but it was part of the draw for Cantwell.
"This is the exciting bit, for me. This was my draw to come back to England," he said on the schedule.
"I want to play in these games at all these great stadiums. I am very much looking forward to putting a run of games together now.
"We're sat sixth so the Championship is always the same, whether you're in or out of it. Everyone beats everyone. But if we keep a run going at home and pick up points away, we'll be in a very good place at the end of it all.
"It's all about consistency. It sounds boring but it's being at that level consistently. We dropped off for a week and we felt what happens if you do that.
"We lost two games that we shouldn't have lost if I'm being honest. That was because we weren't consistent with the level we showed before.
"Momentum is the most important thing in the Championship, you can have a good month and be in the top three. A bad month and you're 13th. That's the Championship and it's why we all love it. That's why we need to show that consistency.
"I think there's a great mix of younger and senior boys which creates a great atmosphere.
"With the Championship, nobody can play every single game and there's a lot of quality."
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